Two months ago, we warned that while the world had decided to blissfully move on from last year's topic #1, the MENA revolutions, and specifically the massive power vacuum left in their wake, things in the region were far from fixed. Quite the contrary, and as we added back then "it is very likely that the Mediterranean region, flanked on one side by the broke European countries of Greece, Italy, Spain (and implicitly Portugal), and on the other by the unstable powder keg of post-revolutionary Libya and Egypt, will likely become quite active yet again. Only this time, in addition to social and economic upheavals, a religious flavor may also be added to the mix". Yet nobody cared as after a year of daily videos showing Molotov Cocktails dropping like flies, people had simply gotten habituated and needed some other source of excitement. Nobody cared also when a week ago Art Cashin warned that the hidden geopolitcal risk is not Spain but Egypt. Today, Egypt just reminded at least one country why perhaps caution about the instability caused by having a military in charge of the most populous Arabic country and the one boasting "the Canal", should have been heeded after Egypt just announced that it is cutting off its natural gas supplies to Israel, which just so happens relies on Egypt for 40% of its energy needs.

Egypt's energy companies have terminated a long-term deal to supply Israel with gas after the cross-border pipeline sustained months of sabotage since a revolt last year, a stakeholder in the deal said on Sunday.

Ampal-American Israel Corporation, a partner in the East Mediterreanean Gas Company (EMG), which operates the pipeline, said the Egyptian companies involved had notified EMG they were "terminating the gas and purchase agreement".

And judging by the sound and fury emanating from Israel the move was hardly expected:

The company said in a statement that the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company had notified them of the decision, adding that "EMG considers the termination attempt unlawful and in bad faith, and consequently demanded its withdrawal".

It said EMG, Ampal, and EMG's other international shareholders were "considering their options and legal remedies as well as approaching the various governments".

Before the sabotage, Egypt supplied about 40 percent of Israel's natural gas, which is the country's main energy source.

Suddenly Israel may have bigger things to worry about that whether or not to leak its Iran invasion plas on national TV:

Israeli officials have said the country was at risk of facing summer power outages due to energy shortages.

Companies invested in the Israeli-Egyptian venture have taken a hit from numerous explosions of the cross-border pipeline and are seeking compensation from the Egyptian government of billions of dollars.

Ampal and two other companies have sought $8 billion in damages from Egypt for not safeguarding their investment.

Furthermore, if the Egyptian move is indeed an escalation in strategic alliance shifts in the region, it could have truly huge implications:

The Egyptian decision is a potential blow to the country's ties with Israel, already tested by the toppling of Israeli ally President Hosni Mubarak a year ago.

Egypt was the first of two Arab countries to sign a peace trety with Israel, in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994.a

Has the country's endless warmongering calls for a preemptive war against Iran backfired epically? We won't know for a while, but what we do know is that any government left in the power of military elites, is, how should we say it, unstable... for the simple reason that a military regime tends to require war to remind people why it is in charge. And the Egyptian "transitional" military government appears pretty much set to become permanent. Again from Reuters:

Ex-foreign minister Amr Moussa, a leading contender for Egypt's presidency, said on Sunday he would give the military a voice in key policies via a national security council, a move to reassure ruling generals about their status after a power transfer.

Moussa, a self-described liberal nationalist whose main election rivals are Islamists, also said Egypt needed a president with lobbying skills to work effectively with the Islamist-dominated parliament and other institutions after decades of autocratic government.

Which means add one more election to the already surging roster of short-term catalysts now including France, Greece, Germany and, as of yesterday, the Netherlands:

Egypt's presidential vote that starts on May 23-24 will mark the final stage of a transition to civilian rule from generals who took charge after Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

Unfortunately for Israel, either outcome will likely be a choice between a rock and a hard place, as the country appears to be rapidly alienating its one core catalytic long-term ally in the region.

Moussa, 75, said the national security council, to be chaired by the president, would include senior cabinet ministers plus top military officers. It would have a broad national security brief, he told a news conference.

"It has to consider all issues pertaining to national security and not only issues of defence or war, etc, but issues like water, issues like relations with neighbours," said Moussa, a former head of the Arab League.

"(The council) will be a power house on those issues of major priority for the national life," he added.

Other candidates, including one Islamist, have made similar suggestions but Moussa's proposal and his plans as a whole are more detailed than most.

...

The army has said it will hand over power and return to barracks by July 1, leaving the new president in charge.

But various comments from army officials, usually in private, or from the military-appointed cabinet have indicated that the military wants a longer term role in protecting broad interests that range from businesses to national security, and wants to guide state affairs that could impact them.

The only question Israel may want to answer now is whether it wants to get cozy with Russia, whose nat gas it may suddenly be very, very attractive. And for that to happen, it means a huge softening in its anti-Iran tone, which in turn will have a huge impact on regional geopolitics, and specifically the risk of war in Iran, and thus the price of Brent. All of this, of course assumes, Israel does not immediately retaliate against Egypt, recently a big recipient of US aid, not to mention tear gas, and start a pre-emptive two front pre-war...

I believe the biggest threat to Israel is not Iran or its neighbor. The biggest threat will come from inside of Israel itself, its Arab population is rapidly increasing and in a short future time the number of Arab origin Israelis will surpass the number of Jews and they will have a say on all things.

In that case the real threat to Israeli are the Likudists who refuse to leave the settlements in the West Bank.

Israel could retreat to the 67 boundaries — in which Jews outnumber Arabs almost 3:1 — and create a de facto Palestinian state in the West Bank. But no, the Likudists will not concede an inch to the Araboosh and so must deal with an Israel where it is 50/50, and where most of the Arabs do not have voting rights.

"Why not start your own blog and then you can put in some swastikas for background."- fact is anti semetic.

Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II. To date, the United States has provided Israel $115 billion in bilateral assistance. Almost all U.S. bilateral aid to Israel is in the form of military assistance, although in the past Israel also received significant economic assistance.

In 2007, the Bush Administration and the Israeli government agreed to a 10-year, $30 billion military aid package that gradually will raise Israel’s annual Foreign Military Financing grant from a baseline of nearly $2.55 billion in FY2009 to approximately $3.1 billion for FY2013 through FY2018. For FY2013, the Obama Administration is requesting $3.1 billion in FMF to Israel.

to buy security for Israel by paying off puppet dictators? that harmed the local population you tool, so don't cite that as some sort of benefit to the locals... didn't do anything for the U.S. taxpayer either. end it all... all the bullshit aid to prop up israel, whether to israel or to israel's puppets... end it all.

Without the oil revenues the middle east resembles the lesser parts of places like Nicaragua.

Almost the impossible, find endless money underneath your feet and watch large portions of the world pass you by. Pre oil who was better off? Eastern Bloc, Southeast Asia, parts of central and south america or the avg middle easterner? 100 yrs later who is better off?

How much does it cost to get a barrel of oil out of the ground again?

Your thesis that Israel calls the shots all the while jew fed chairman and the administration effectively doubled your hero's already outrageous pay is too far. Better clean up the propaganda, to be effective the imbecile has to believe it.

$30million a day in Egypt alone.

If only there was no US aid and oil actually cost what it took to get it out of the ground with small profits along the way or significantly less than it actually does.

Nice try. Exploitation is the same in Egypt as it is here. People are not falling for the divide and conquer any longer. Wealth is extracted by by multinational corporations with the help of corrupt puppet dictators. People are on to the game, and the Muslim bashing isn't going to work this time.

you think? since zionists worked so very hard to make it happen? also should there be any deductions for the money sent to iraq and afghanistan for, oh i don't know, the thousands of iraqis and afghanis blown the fuck up, shot, raped, tortured or just crippled for life, chased from their own country, etc. etc. etc.? makes one want to through a shoe at a number of people.

whstlblwr, that's a pretty disingenuous snapshot. Only reason Iraq and Afghanistan showed up is because of the two wars. Iraq received zero dollars until we started the war. Afghanistan received a measly few millions a year until we started the war. Israel has been receiving $3+ billion every year, every administration, whether they asked for it or not...

Waaahhh Wah Wah. Geez, some of you posters are such whining crybabies. The joooss take everything!!!! Wah Wah Wah!!!! Let me lie some more and say $70-$80 billion of oil use in Israel a year!!!! Wah Wah Wah Lie Lie Lie!!!!!!!

We crybaby christians are such perfect angels!!!! All the evil is the jooooossssssssssss!!!!!

LOL!!!!!

From above

We pay for Israel to buys American Stocks in the NEW, NEW NORMAL!! Of Open Market Operations!

And the TRUTH!! of it ALL!!! is I don’t care if the Largest Lobby was Chinese Martians who were all gay porn starz!

I don’t care who is Bribing my Government!

I ONLY!! CARE!! That my Government is filled with Lobby Whores that are in FACT!! Owned by Someone!

And the FACT!! That those someone’s happen to be Jewish? Is a Problem You have!

It is a Problem the Sheepeople have because they have been BRAINWASHED!!!

But it is NOT! a Problem I have!

I want ALL! the Lobby Whores and their Owners!! Prosecuted for Treason!!

My Country has been Gutted Like a FUCKING FISH!!

The Manufacturing Base was Shipped off to Mexico, China, India, Brazil and everywhere else a BARGAIN! Could be found! And Thusly our National tax Base has been Gutted along with those Manufacturing Jobs that were Shipped Off Shore!!

And let’s Talk about how Wall Street enjoys Tax Credits and Subsidies for Shipping those Jobs Off Shore?? What in the FUCK IS THAT ABOUT??

I'm positive the Booshes know it was an inside job. I'm positive Barackistan wasn't born in Hula-land. I'm positive the USA I was raised to believe in and is the land of the free is a sham. I'm positive the world is run by a bunch of Jewish bankers and the US Military Corp. is it's main enforcer. Other than than, I'm pretty open for discussion.

Campaigning for the 2012 presidential race has already begun, but what the candidates don't know is that come election day, hackers could be the ones whose votes have the biggest impact.

Researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois have developed a hack that, for about $26 and an 8th-grade science education, can remotely manipulate the electronic voting machines used by millions of voters all across the U.S.

The researchers, Salon reported, performed their proof-of-concept hack on a Diebold Accuvote TS electronic voting machine, a type of touchscreen Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting system that is widely used for government elections.

From 1945-1948, there was a groundswell of public support for the State of Israel by Jews world-wide, and in the United States in particular. Meanwhile, in Palestine, bombings and retaliatory murders are daily occurrences, as the British were unsuccessful at keeping the peace between Jew and Arabs. Eventually British Prime Minister Bevin decided that England would give up its rule over Palestine and handed the problem over to the United Nations to solve.

In 1946, the British attempted to defeat any Jewish opposition by arresting 5000 Jews in Palestine, including the leaders of the Hagannah and the Jewish Agency. The Irgun reacted by bombing the headquarters of the British forces at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.

I wonder if the Copy Right Laws are still in effect for the Jews and Terrorist Acts? LOL!!

His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.[1]

the jews would have been far safer staying in the suburbs around the concentration camps at the end of ww2. instead many immigrated to what was neutral territory in ww2 and found a new place they could be killed because they were jews. nice job.

if they wanted a homeland, it should in justice have been carved from bavaria or brandenberg.

Sure, just don't forget that the rest of Arabia want's nothing to do with the Palestinians and are merely leveraging them for their political needs. So ultimately the Palestinians are the worst kind of pawns. That entire region is a massive mess!

"israel" has no right to exist, and certainly not in Palestine. First of all, the ancient kingdom of Israel was NOT Hebrew, let alone anything like "jewish". There was no one called "Jew" at the time that Israel existed and even if there had been the ancient Isrealites kept a strongly guardeed border between it and the area known as Judea which wa a very very poor place inhabite by a few very poor people, much like the Bedu of today, and it was plagued by robbers and brigands. These peole who call themselves Jews originated from South East Russia with the hordes of Attilla the Hun. Stalin, a Georgian Jew, established The Jewish Autnomous Region called Birobidjhan there. It is the same size as Switzerland but far, far more fertile. It has everything one could possibly need in a county including a modern city with everything a modern city usually has - libraries and museums and schools and parks. There are very few Jews there! There is masses of room there in a beautiful country. What aare they doing in the ME when they have NO ethnic connnection to it? They are NOT Semitic, never have been. The People of Palestine are the Semites. It is a trick, anothe one, the usual kind of deceitful trick to make the people of the World think that they are Semitic and belong in the ME when actually that are of Mongolian Turkic extraction mixed with Slavs since the hordes travelled without women and just took them where ever they happened to be. It may be that the word SLAVE comes from the word Slav - because, as usual, instead of making and creating, manufacturing themselves, they stole everything they wanted as they went along, settling eventually in the area between the Blakc Sea and the Caspian. So, let them get the hell out of Palestine and go back to where they came from where no one will bother them. They can take their ugly concrete walls with them (thirty feet high), erect them around Birobidjhan, have one entrance or exit - and that should be in the power of an old Palestinian to open or close - and they should not be allowed out except for emergencies, and maybe not even then. They will be perfectly safe and secure there, NO one will bother them ever - and perhaps the World will be allowed some heavenly peace. They are very foolish people - if they are actually human at all, that is.

You are right about that, but who is lobbying for the destruction of western society? the marxist j00s of course!

This is a well documented fact in both the US and Europe. Check all the marxists lurking behind Obama such as Soros, Goldstein, Baumgartner, Rotschild, Kissinger, Katz, oppenheimer, sachs, feinstein, braun, silverstein and on it goes.

100% marxist j00s, and why do they do it? because killing of the white man is more important than the safety of their own people.

It is the "evil Zionists" who are arragning the destruction of Europe and Britain by this very measure of pushing as many immigrants in there as possible. It is designed to destroy the culture of Europe - and they admit that it is they who are doing this. They have always been masters of deceit and of playing one side off against the other - they do it as a matter of course, and all the time.

Hey Randall go fuck yourself. Call yourself the rat -- these people, along with the Palestinians, have all suffered enough. It appears that the region is simply addicted to suffering and nothing will appease anyone at this stage of the game.

Hey Randall go fuck yourself. Call yourself the rat -- these people, along with the Palestinians, have all suffered enough. It appears that the region is simply addicted to suffering and nothing will appease anyone at this stage of the game.

And when as per above you invoke these veiled Nazi keywords like "rat" in referencing Jews you are the lowliest piece of racist shit, period. And if you said spearchucker, whop, kike, mick, or whatever bullshit, you'd still get the same motherfucking response from me. Israel, Sudan, fucking Syria-- it's all just a bunch of assholes in power vying to fuck each other over and racist morons are simply reactive pawns, there or here or wherever -- be that fucktard racist and TPTB win; be that racist and divide yourself and then you'll be asking the kikes to bail your hick ass out when it's too late. Why? Because TPTB transcend race and religion -- they simply invoke religion and race and social causes like abortion to further divide the sheeple. So if you think life and politics are as binary as rooting for a football team, a political party, or trashing a nation, then you deserve what you get.....

Well - who do you think put Egypt up to this - or perhaps more accurately - who allowed it.This has the "Rose-Garden" smell. You can really see Obama and Panetta finally deciding on giving that troublesome Netaynahu a big headache as payback for his insisting on an Iranian adventure and mobilizing AIPAC.

Really. O. comes across more and more as someone that really likes double-X. Who will he be favoring this week? The one that bundles enough or makes the minimum of fuss for him.Though he´s not stupid - he always plays the indirect angle.

Let´s look at the facts.Egypt is a disaster. A country of 80 million something living on a tiny strip along the Nile.Not a lot of arable land to say the least.Besides selling gas and some oil they don´t have much else to export.Only dates,nuts,rugs.Their economy is totally based on U.S. aid.Do you really think they would cut off all their aid in USD and foodstuff and also stop selling their gas for shekels if they didn´t have the support of the Prez?They are i no situation to export to the other neighbours like Libya,Sudan etc. They may of course sell it to other countries outside that litterbox but I frankly doubt that they just can pull that off right away.Will take a lot of investment and tech know-how they don´t have.They are backwards.

And yes - they may be islam brothas but I frankly believe they favor baksheez.You know it´s not a pleasant thing when 20-30 million people start rioting because they are very hungry...

Pls look at the paragraphs on geography (90% lives on 5.5 % of surface area of country - they are the third largest recipient of U.S aid) etc.

I say it would take one (1) phonecall from the Prez. to get that gas flowing eastbound again. This is O. telling Bibi N - screw you. I´ll grant you the fact that the islam fundamentalists and assorted crazies are getting more leverage in Egypt every day.But once again - even they will have a hard time if their exports such as they are and the precious U.S aid goes away overnight.Even very pious people understand that they can´t be a part of some big change if they have been strung up in a lamp post.This is tugging the leash on the Israeli pitbull not to have them spoil the plan in advance.

nice cover story with the aid.... in relative terms, Israel takes far more than any country... besides, all that US "aid" to other countries was/is just bribe money to keep US/Israeli puppets in power to the detriment of the local people. The world is waking up to the game, and saying no thanks to the US blood money.... I hope the mainstream islamists take power in Egypt, they should and are entitled to if its what the people want. the paradigm is shifting rapidly, the rules of today will not apply soon enough.

It's NOT me, but can't one disagree with something a Jew says or does, and NOT be a "Jew hater"? I'm Catholic, and I don't get a life time free pass. In fact, we Catholics have to live with some well deserved hatred toward some of our priests (Catholics are NOT doing enough to prevent some very bad behave r). So it's not how you worship God, but what we do & don't do. Think "Golden Rule".

lol...well lets see...Egypt imports around 50% of its food, is running out of cash, has its hand stuck out to the loan sharks at the IMF and has now cut the other hand off as a source of much needed cash.

And Egyptian "Libyan adventure." Cut off the Suez...keep up the pressure on the Christians in Southern Sudan..."yada, yada, yada" as they say. I'd be following Algeria very closely in here as well. They are a nuclear power...

I dunno, cutting off the Suez is not really how you win the hearts & minds of the world...I can see them reverting to "ransom" as the region has done in the past, not sinking a ship in it. Of course predicting what psychos will do is a little iffy.

Maybe they can send Lara Logan back over as an emissary...too soon? ;-)

Yeah, the "peace & love tribe" is doing some serious hacking on Christians no doubt about it...kumbayah huh?

Quote from article: "I liked this comment: “Zero hedge commentary suggests the fed manipulates our very life blood, as ordered by the lizard men, in order to create infinite debt and establish a soviet central planning regime.”

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah...Take a close look at his picture in the Times. Ya'll know what they say, the eyes are the window to the green cold blooded Satanically possessed Keynesian soul. (Thank God the people handing out The Watchtower just came by. I needed more copies to give to the small kids on Halloween. Their mom's just go ape-shit!)His eyes are black balls.Little teenie tiny round black balls.Reptilian eyes.He's one of the Reptile People.And with those eyes, I'll bet that it was his kids they were talking about in them articles about the evil black eyed children.And bet his waddling fat dog was the beast mistaken for the shadow people.Gosh, being affiliated with the NYT can get one into so many sketchy relationships.Fucking amazing.

Paul, give up. Come over to the bright side with us. Leave the darkness behind. You don't have to live like that any more. There is a way out.

Quote from article: "I liked this comment: “Zero hedge commentary suggests the fed manipulates our very life blood, as ordered by the lizard men, in order to create infinite debt and establish a soviet central planning regime.”
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Either this US citizen reads this site often or he is a quick reader of trends because well, save the story of lizard men, the other points are regular best clicker topics.